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June- Book Recommendations

Tuesday, June 7, 2016

There is nothing I enjoy more than lounging by the pool with a cold beverage and a good book. My summer reading list is growing rapidly. I thought I would share a few that I just finished.

The Glass Castle: A Memoir - by Jeannette Walls A memoir of the authors poverty-stricken upbringing. I was engrossed in the stories of this dysfunctional family. The parents wanted to live a life of adventure and lacked ambition. They had the means, the intellect, and the physicality to change their somber situation. Instead, theychose alcohol and a stubborn will not to conform to society. The children in turn learned to be resilient, independent, and financially aware through the hardships they endured at the hands of their parents. It is a quick read and I highlyrecommend.

Surprise, Surprise...another WWII novel. They seem to overflow my bookshelf. This one ranks high on my list. A blind Frenchgirl who flees to Saint Malo with her father in wartorn France. A young German boy who is fascinated with building and fixing radios and is recruited to join Hitler's Youth. Their stories intersect as they both grow into young adults and endure extremehardships caused by events of the war.

"Knowing that even if I'm dying, until I actually die, I am still living."

I put off reading this book for some time. I read a few pages of the Prologue and kept putting it down and moving onto something else;less heartbreaking. I'm so glad I sat down (late at night) and read it cover to cover. By 1am, I closed it up with tears running down my face. Dr. Paul Kalanithi was training as a neurosurgeonwhen he was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer.He questions the meaning of life when the certainty of death lingers close in the shadows.He had a very matter of factapproach to his writing and in no way was it self-pitying.Was it depressing?Yes. Was it uplifting?Yes. Was it worth the read? Yes.